biological explanations

atavistic form

explanation of criminal behaviour which suggests that individuals are born with an innate criminal personality which is a throwback to earlier primate forms

lombrosso

innate psychological makeup of individual causss them to become a criminal

lombrosso empirical evidence

post-mortem examinations of criminals

studying the faces of living criminals

precise measurements of physiological characteristics (anthropometry)- a distinct science

he and his co-workers studies 50,000 bodies over the course of his career

examples of physical characteristics

asymmetrical face

unusual sized ears

high cheekbones

extra nipples, fingers, toes

3 characterises of environmental influences

born criminals- atavistic type, throwbacks to earlier primates and identifiable from their physical characteristics

insane criminals- suffering from mental illnesses

criminaloids- large general class of offenders whose mental characteristics predispose them to criminal behaviour under the right circumstances

still deterministic

somatotypes

identified 4 types based on studies on over 400 criminals

leptosome → tall and skinny (petty theives)

athletic → tall and muscular (violence)

pyknic → short and fat (deception)

dysplastic → crimes against humanity

lombrosso ao3

❌lack of adequate controls, studies prisoners not non-prisoners. Goring compared 3000 criminals with non criminals, barely found differences

❌gender bias- Lombroso believed women less evolved than men (alpha bias) women who were criminals had masculine characteristics that were favourable in men but made them monsters

☹determinism- states physical features predispose criminality, ignoring role of free will, choosing bet right and wrong

😊empirical evidence- carried out precise measurements, 50,000 bodies studied

genetic

genes predispose a person to criminal behaviour

twin study (genetics)

raine

concordance rates for delinquency established

mz → 52%, dz → 21%

genes linked to offending 🧬

MAOA

CDH13

MAOA

brunner et al → analysed DNA of 28 delinquent male members of a Dutch family with history of violent criminal behaviour

found the MAOA gene which led to low levels of MAOA in all the men

what are MAOA ABD CDH13 linked to

MAOA → regulates serotonin – low activity → impulsivity, aggression.

CDH13 → linked to substance abuse and ADHD.

diathesis stress and epigenics

maltreatment in childhood- can cause MAOA/CDH13 genes to be switched on even in people with low levels of these genes (Caspi et al)

this interaction of genes with the environment causes criminality

neural explanations

brain structures relate to criminality as well as neurotransmitter levels

brain differences may be due to nature or nurture

prefrontal cortex

Raine → brain scans of murderers showed reduced activity in prefrontal cortex

damage to this area → impulsivity, lack of guilt/empathy.

limbic system

raine also found abnormalities in the amygdala and hippocampus — areas linked to emotion and aggression.

neurotransmitters

serotonin → low levels linked to impulsivity and aggression.

noradrenaline → high levels, over-arousal during stressful situations → violent responses.

genetic ao3

❌biologically determinist and reductionist

✅raine research support. lots of evidence. high validity

❌cannot explain all types of crime. only violent crimes

❌cannot establish cause and effect